Be honest: when you hear the words “pest control,” doesn’t your mind immediately jump to your home? It is okay if it does: that’s where the focus lies for most of us. It is important, though, that you also put in some effort to keep your workplace as clean and pest free as possible. After all, the last thing you want is for a pest to hitch a ride home from work, right? So what do you do?

Getting Rid of Temptation

How often do you choose to eat lunch at your desk instead of going out? How often do you keep hot beverages nearby for sipping during the day? Do you keep tea bags or packets of hot chocolate or apple cider in your desk? Stop it.

Even if you bring your lunch from home, get away from your desk at lunchtime. Take your meal to the break room or even out of the building altogether. If the weather is cooperating, take it to a nearby park.

Instead of keeping tea bags, packets of hot chocolate or cider in your desk, bring them into work with you each day and keep them in a sealed Ziploc bag in your purse, briefcase or lunch bag. If you simply must keep a variety on hand, make sure they are sealed in an airtight container (sandwich bags, Tupperware type containers, etc.—no cardboard).

Clean Every Day

It sounds tedious but if you clean up your workspace every day, you’ll find that the task gets easier over time until it takes just a few minutes each afternoon before you leave. Even better, clean things during the day:

Put files and office supplies away as soon as you’re done using them.

Keep the clutter to a minimum; use digital reminders instead of scribbled notes.

Take your shredding and recycling out every afternoon.

If you snack at your desk, use compressed air to blow the crumbs out of your computer keyboard or laptop each afternoon and make sure you’re wiping down the desk before you leave. A quick swipe with the vacuum or carpet sweeper is also a good idea if you’ve been particularly messy.

If You Are in Charge

If you are the business’s owner, you’re going to have to take some extra steps to keep the space pest and bug free. Here are a few things that you can do:

Set up strict break room rules: used dishes need to be washed right away and food should not be left out unattended.

Ask employees to use the break room trash can for any food-based trash they might have and then have that trash taken out every day. If you don’t have a break room, ask them to take the food-based trash out to your dumpster or to an outdoor trash can to prevent pests from sensing it during the evening and night.

Hire a cleaning crew to come in at least once a week to do a thorough scrubbing of the workplace. Make sure to hire a cleaning crew that uses only environmentally responsible cleaning methods.

Hire a professional pest control expert to come in and treat the space so that pests won’t even be tempted to forage within the building. It is important that an expert treat the building for pests both inside and outside. Treating the outside of the building can keep the pests from being tempted to explore the inside.